Richard H. Collins subscribes to the philosophy that those who benefit greatly from their community have a responsibility to make it greater.
To that end, he manages the following philanthropic foundations that fund several initiatives whose goals help improve the quality of life for all Americans.
Founded in 1984, The Today Foundation is a public foundation that has awarded over $8 million in scholarships to more than 8,000 children in grades K-8 in Dallas County to attend the school of their choice. The Today Foundation’s multiple programs are aimed at:
- Improving education
- Boosting reading skills
- Building character
- Reducing crime
- Preventing drug use
- Using technology to better education
- Supporting the Collins Academy in Jefferson, Texas
- Advocating tax reform
- Exploring economic issues
In addition, the Calvert Collins Family Foundation — founded by Carr P. Collins in 1962 — is private foundation that:
- Works in conjunction with Southern Methodist University’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development to develop effective scientifically based reading research and easy to use assessments.
- Makes grants to educational organizations
- Owns and manages The House of the Seasons, a historic, 1872 home in Jefferson, Texas.
- We teach children and adults about historic preservation, archaeology, conservation, and local culture with the House of the Seasons and other partners in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
- The foundation funded the Carr P Collins Chair of Finance, the Collins Scholars & the Collins Outstanding Professor Award all at Baylor. The Foundation also created the Carr P. Collins Jr Chair of Management Science at SMU.
The Collins Academy:
- Provides honor courses for area students and diplomas for high school dropouts.
- The Collins Academy partnered with the City of Jefferson to develop the Port Jefferson History & Nature center. The center is a sculpture garden located at the site of the historic Turning Basin & has a series of trails wandering through the local habitat with the famous 1907 railroad bridge as the featured historic structure at the site.
